Buggy-shaft support.



B M. PERDUB.

BUGGY SHAFT SUPPORT APPLIOATION IILED 1330.14, 1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

INVENTOH BHADIE M. FEHDUEI:

WITNESSES 4. iT x W ATTORNEYS 'portion 6, having the BRADIE M. PERDUE,OF FRANKLIN, KENTUCKY.

BUGGY-SHAFT SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed December 14, 1907. Serial No. 406,449

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRADIE M. PERDUE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Franklin, in the county of Simpson and State ofKentucky, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-ShaftSupports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in buggy shaft supports and consists incertain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Refcrringto the drawing forming a part hereof-Figure 1 is a side View ofthe improvement applied to a vehicle, the shafts being shown lifted andparts of the vehicle being in section. Fig. 2 is a similar view showingthe shafts in the position occupied when the horse is hitched to thevehicle. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improvement. Fig. 1 is aside view of a part of the improvement showing a modification. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of another modification, and Fig. 6 is a sectionthrough the spring and adjustable arm.

The present embodiment of my invention, comprises a plate 1, which maybe secured to the axle in any preferred manner, and at approximately thecenter thereof. To the front end of the plate is h inged an adjustablearm 2, the said arm comprising a vertical portion 3 hinged as at 4 tothe horizontal portion 5, and another vertical upper end curved for- Asecond arm 8 is hinged to the free end of the arm 2 as at 9, the upperend of the arm 8 being bent backward upon itself, and formed into a hook11, for a purpose to be presently described. The arm 8 is slidablyconnected with the cross bar 16 of the shafts 13, by means of a strap 17connected to the clip 14 secured to the bolt 15, which connects theswingletree 12 with the cross bar 16 of the shaft, the strap 17 forminga loop through which the arm slides.

A spring 18 is connected at one end with the hook 11 before mentioned,and at the other end with a tension device comprising an eyebolt 19,having the threaded end thereof passing through an opening in thehorizontal portion 5 of the arm 2, a nut 20 being arranged upon thethreaded portion whereby the eye-bolt may be adjusted to properlytension the spring.

A rest 21 is arranged on the curved portion of the arm 2, for receivingthe spring wardly as at 7.

plate, a

when the shafts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the said restmay be of any desired construction.

the rest is shown as comprising spaced flanges or ribs arrangedlongitudinally of the arm, and adapted to receive the sprlngtherebetween. In Figs. 5 and 6, the rest as shown comprises spaced pairsof lugs 22, which act in the same manner as the ribs.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the plate 1 is arranged at the center of the axle, andis connected to the axle by a clip 23, through which and the platepasses the king-bolt 24 of the vehicle,

and a turn-buckle 25 is arranged between the king-bolt and theadjustable arm 2, whereby to vary the angle of said arm with theperpendicular. The turn-buckle may be of any desired construction, andmay be arranged in any desired manner between the arm and the vehicle.

IVhen the improvement is applied to buggies not provided with endsprings, a support 26 is connected with ears 27 on the ribs forming thespring rest 21, the said support comprising a loop through which thespring passes, the support being adapted to engage the rear of thespring when the shafts are elevated, thus acting instead of the springbar 28 shown in Fig. 1 as a rest.

In some forms of vehicles, it is desirable to secure the adjustable armto the vehicle by means of the plate 29 shown in Fig. 5, the said platebeing bolted to the front of the axle, and provided with a centralvertical bearing 30, in which the vertical portion 3 of the arm 2 isjournaled.

hen the animal is unhitched from the vehicle, the shafts take theposition shown in Fig. 1, being lifted out of contact with the ground,so that there is no liability of breakage. IVhen it is desired to hitchto the buggy, the animal may be led under the shafts and they may bebrought into approximately the position shown in Fig. 2. In thisposition, the spring is under tension, since the arms 2 and 8 are morenearly in alinement with each other than when in the position shown inFig. 1. After the animal is hitched to the vehicle, the tension of thespring keeps the weight of the shafts off the horses back, andimmediately returns them to their elevated position when the animal isunhitched.

It will be evident from the description, that the arm connected with theaxle, is horizontally offset adjacent to the axle, and

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 that the tension adjusting device for the springis connected with the horizontal portion.

I claim- 1. A vehicle shaft support, comprising a plate for attachmentto the axle at approximately the center thereof, a substantiallyvertical arm hinged to the plate, said arm being horizontally ofisetadjacent to the plate and having a forwardly curved portion at the freeend thereof, a turn-buckle for connecting the axle with the arm abovethe horizontal portion, whereby to adjust said arm toward and from thevehicle, a second arm hinged to the free end of the first-named arm, andhaving a slidable connection with the shafts, the free end of saidsecond arm being provided with a hook, an eye-bolt adjustably connectedwith the horizontal portion of the firstnamed arm, a spring connectingthe hook with the eye-bolt, said first-named arm being provided with arest on the curved portion thereof for re-. ceiving the spring, and aloop connected with the rest and encircling the spring for supportingthe opposite side thereof.

2. A vehicle shaft support, comprising a plate for attachment to theaxle, a substantially vertical arm hinged to the plate, said arm beinghorizontally offset adjacent to the plate and having a forwardly curvedportion at the free end thereof, means for ad justing the arm toward andfrom the vehicle, a second arm hinged to the free end of the first-namedarm and having a slidable connection with the shafts, the free end ofsaid second arm being provided with a hook, an eye-bolt adjustablyconnected with the horizontal portion of the first-named arm, and aspring connecting the hook with the eye-bolt, said first-named arm beingprovided with a rest on the curved portion thereof for receiving thespring.

3. A vehicle shaft support, comprising a plate for connection with theaxle, an arm hinged to the plate and provided with a forwardly curvedportion at the free end thereof, means for adjusting the arm toward andfrom the vehicle, a second arm hinged to the free end of the first armand provided at its free end with a hook, means for slidably con-.necting the arm with the shafts, and a spring connecting the hook withthe first-named arm adjacent to the plate, the curved portion of saidarm having a rest for receiving the spring.

4. A vehicle shaft support comprising an arm for connection with qieaxle, and provided with a forwardly curved portion at the free endthereof, means for adjusting said arm toward and from the vehicle, asecond arm hinged to the free end of the first-named arm, means forslidably connecting said lastnamed arm with the shafts, and a springarranged between the free end of the lastnamed arm and the first-namedarm.

5. A vehicle shaft support, comprising a pair of arms hinged together,means for connecting one of said arms to the axle, means for slidablyconnecting the other of said arms with the shafts, means for adjustingsaid first-named arm toward and from the vehicle, and a springconnecting the free end of the last-named arm with the first-named arm.

6. A vehicle shaft support comprising a pair of arms hinged together,means for adjustably connecting one of said arms with the axle, meansfor slidably connecting the other of said arms with the shafts, a springconnecting the ends of the arms remote from the hinged connection, andmeans for adj usting the tension of the spring.

7. A vehicle shaft support, comprising a pair of arms hinged together,means for connecting one of said arms to the vehicle, means for slidablyconnecting the other of said arms with the shafts, and a springconnecting the free end of the last named arm with the first named arm,and means for adjusting the tension of the spring.

8. The combination of the shafts having a loop or eye, the axle, and anarm connected at its lower end to the axle, a rod pivoted at its lowerend to said arm, and extending through the loop or eye on the shafts,the said loop or eye being slidable along the rod and the said rod beingprovided above the loop or eye with a return portion having a hook atits lower end, a coil spring connected at its upper end with the hook,and means securing the lower end of the spring.

9. The combination with the axle and the shafts, of a loop or eye on theshafts, a slide rod extending through said loop or eye, the lower end ofsaid rod having a pivotal connection with the axle and a springconnected with the upper end of the slide rod.

10. The combination with the axle, and the shafts having a loop or eye,of an arm pivoted at its lower end to the axle and having an upwardextending portion, a rod pivoted at its lower end to the upper end ofsaid arm and extending through the loop or eye of the shafts, a springconnecting the upper end of the said rod with the arm, and means foradjusting the arm toward and from the axle.

BRADIE M. PERDUE. Witnesses:

SoLoN C. KEMoN, C. E. TRAINOR.

